Pronunciation: DAH-tai
Meaning: Harmonious One
Author/s: Xing et al. (2024)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Jiangxi, China
Discovery Chart Position: #1117
Datai yingliangis
(Yingliang's Harmonious One)Etymology
Datai is a composite of the last syllable of the Chinese Pinyin "tongda" (to understand clearly and be sensible or reasonable) and "antai" (at peace, healthy and secure). The species epithet, yingliangis, honours the Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum: operated as a public museum by the philanthropic program of the founder of the Yingliang Group (Liang Liu), where the specimens are housed. ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:16013E98-276B-44D6-A862-6A71F3F5D2CB
Discovery
The remains of Datai were discovered in the Zhoutian Formation (Ganzhou Group) at Mazhou, Huichang County, Jiangxi Province, People’s Republic of China, approximately 90 km east-southeast of Ganzhou City, by local villagers during a road construction along the Gongshui River in 2016. The holotype (YLSNHM 01002) consists of a skull, four back vertebrae, ribs, four tail vertebrae surrounded by stiffening tendons, shoulder girdles, the left arm, a hip bone, a partial right thigh, and several boney armour scutes. The paratype (YLSNHM 01003) includes a skull, a full set of neck vertebrae, five back vertebrae, shoulder girdles, the left elbow joint, and boney armour scutes. The rest of the specimens, and perhaps other individuals, were destroyed by explosive excavations during the road construction process.
